Improved rowlock



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. KELLY, OF KENDALLVILLE, `INDIANA.

IMPRovED ROwLooK.

Specification forming-part of Letters Patent No. 55,309, dated June 5,1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. KELLY, of Kendallville,in the countyofNoble and State of 1ndiana,have invented anew and Improved Rowlock; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan viewof my improved rowlock having an oar applied to it. Fig. 2 is atransverse section of the saine. Fig. 3 is section taken in a plane atright angles to that of Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the threefigures.

The object of this invention is to support oars upon the gunwale of aboat by means of an anti friction rowlock which is constructed in suchmanner as to allow of a free play being given to an oar with little orno friction at its point of support, as will be hereinafter y described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe its con struction and operation.

A represents the gunwale of a boat, and B a circular plate ofinetal,which is firmly bolted upon this gunwale at a proper point for using anoar.

lhe plate B vis constructed with a centralv stud, c, projectingperpendicularly from it, also with a central circular depression, whichleaves an annular elevation, b, the upper surface of which inclinesoutward, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This plate B may be made of wroughtor cast metal, and its central pin, a, 1n ay form apart of the plate, orit may be made separate and secured by bolts 0r otherwise to this plate.

A circular plate, G, having an annular beveled portion, b', and acentral openin g through it, is secured rigidly to the oar D at asuitable point by means of bolts or otherwise.

An opening, c, of a daring form should be made through the oar D, justover the opening which is through the plate C, for the purpose ofreceiving through it the fixed pin a when the plate C is placed upon thetwo antifriction rollers G G, as shown in the drawings. This pin is thefulerum about which the oar D isallowed to'vibrate horizontally.

The rollers G G are conical, and constructed with annular flanges e e ontheir inner ends, which latter turn within the annular projections b b',and keep the rollers from moving outward out of place.

An axle, J, which is pivoted loosely to the stud a, is used for keepingthe rollers G- G diametrieally opposite each other and to allow 'thelntoroll freely between the two plates B and C. The ends of the axle J passloosely speed.

lt will be seen from the above description that theoarD is allowed tomove freely in anydesired direct-ion, that the rowlock allows its endsto receive a vertical or a horizontal motion ora diagonal movementwithout bringing anyfrictional or rubbing surfaces together. The weightof the oaris sustained by the anti friction rollers at all times, andmuch of the lateral strain upon the oar during its acting strokes willbe received by the flangesfe c on the rollers, thus relieving the stud aon the plate B from undue strain.

By having the stud c of the proper length the oar need not have anyother fastening than that afforded by this stud; hence it will be seenthat the oar can be shipped and unshipped at pleasure without stoppingto unfasten anything.

My invention will be found very useful for large boats used on rivers aswell as for small boats.

Having thus described my invention, what ters Patent, is-

l. The combination of circular plates B and O, havin grollersinterposedbetween them, with an oar, D, substantially as described. 2.Constructing the base-plate B with a central stud, a, for receiving,centering, and keeping in place the movable plate C, to which the oar isaffixed, substantially as described.

3. Constructing the anti-friction rollers G G with langes e e on them,in combination with the annular projections on the plates B and Csubstantially as described.

JAMES B. KELLY. -Witnessesz THoMAs L. GRAVES, Lucius E. GOODWIN.

through the axes of the rollers G G, so that bot-h rollers move togetherand with the same I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let-v

